Remembering the city of tolerance, tradition and taste

Just a year before Narendra Modi, the wily, obsessive, saffron-clad proponent of Hindutva ideology, emerged onto the Indian political scene, I had the opportunity to visit India, twice. I was there to attend international financial conferences, incidentally, both being held in the traditional city of Hyderabad, Deccan.

Originally called Baghnagar or city of gardens, Hyderabad later acquired its name meaning "Hyder's City" or "Lion City", from hyder 'lion' and ābād 'city', after Caliph Ali Ibn Abi Talib, also known as Hyder because of his lion-like valour in battle. The city has yet retained its Muslim name, but presumably, it must be on Modi’s destructive radar, as he works overtime to replace the names of Muslim cities with alternative new names from Mahabharata and Ramayana.

Cumulatively, I stayed for almost a fortnight in Hyderabad and developed a keen interest in its history, culture and traditions. The first visit coincided with the discovery of Sania Mirza the tennis wonder-girl from Hyderabad, who had become an overnight sensation in her city following an international victory. Little did my cricket-crazy eldest son, Ali or I know that she would become wife to a Pakistani cricketer who has more than once proven that marriages are made in heaven and broken on earth. But that is another story.

My interest in this beautiful city grew manifolds when being a history enthusiast, I discovered, how significantly, Mir Osman Ali Khan, the last Nizam of Hyderabad had financially supported Pakistan, in its early fledgling years of independence. It is said that almost thrice a week, Sidney Cotton, a British pilot would fly his Lancaster Bomber loaded with hard cash from Hyderabad to Karachi, making sure to keep his aircraft well below Indian radars.

Not only the first Governor of the State Bank of Pakistan was from Hyderabad, where he worked as a senior civil servant, but Sir Malik Ghulam Muhammad, the third Governor-General of Pakistan, worked as finance minister in Independent Hyderabad. Later, hordes of civil servants from Hyderabad migrated to Pakistan and served the new nation state with passion and diligence.

Following partition, Hyderabad remained independent as a separate state, as Mir Osman Ali Khan refused to be part of either India or Pakistan. At the time, Hyderabad was prosperous, but to think that it could survive as an independent, sovereign state surrounded by historical enemies from Mahrashtra and Mysore, etc. was far-fetched and reflected the Nizam’s lack of political vision and oversight.

In his significantly fictionalised book, The Great Mughals and Their India, Dirk Collier mentions how in 1716, Farrukhsiyar convinced Qamaruddin Siddiqi who was the Nizam ul Mulk and the grandson of a nobleman from Bokhara, Central Asia, to accept the governorship of Deccan. After being Prime Minister for some time, Qamaruddin received the title of Asaf Jah (as noble and exalted as Asaf, the Grand Vizier of King Solomon).

Thus began Asaf Jah dynasty in Hyderabad Deccan in 1724, which lasted till 1948 with Mir Osman Ali Khan, son of Mehboob Ali Khan, the sixth Nizam, ascended the throne in 1911 as the last or the seventh effective Nizam.

On September 17, 1948, just six days after Mr Jinnah passed away, and as though they were waiting for his death to occur, the seventh Nizam was subjected to ruthless police action by Sardar Vallahbhai Patel Nehru’s home minister who launched the Operation Polo, commonly known as police action. Consequently, the Nizam was defeated, who at the time happened to be the richest man on planet earth with a net worth estimated then at US$ 230 billion.

Confined to lead a life of obscurity in his palace called King Kothi, Mir Osman was allowed to retain his title, honours and assets, which were later plundered by New Delhi. He was only seen in public, when he would step out with lesser fanfare, either for the Friday prayer congregation or to occasionally visit Leela Begum, a Hindu convert, the most loved and the last of his many wives. He would visit her when she was unwell and admitted to a hospital or nursing home of Dr-Mrs Fernandes, who he trusted, as he didn’t trust too many people.

My father, an imported civil servant from UP, lived across King Kothi for a few years during the initial years of his career. “The richest man on earth was a neighbour to the church mouse,” he would jovially describe his Hyderabad address as he narrated many a tale about his sojourn in Hyderabad Deccan, prior to 1947. Those anecdotes also sparked my interest in Deccan.

Mir Osman Ali Khan was an extremely tolerant and just ruler of a majorly Hindu population who were in allegiance to their noble ruler. Kishen Pershad, a local nobleman was his Prime Minister, who served two terms and worked wonders for the ordinary citizens. His six Hindu and five Muslim wives gifted him with a cumulative set of 15 children. Pershad was an Urdu poet too and his pen name was Shad. His most famous couplet, narrated to me by my father is a naatiya verse, the translation of which is as follows:

God alone knows what I am!

But I know, I am the Prophet’s (PBUH) servant, who is Medina’s ruler

In 1937, Khawaja Hasan Nizami, published an anthology titled Hindu Ki Naat it includes a poem by Chaudhry Dillu Ram (pen name Kausari), a poet from Punjab. I wish to present it to Modi, as a verse that follows, depicts the highest form of tolerance and peaceful coexistence that prevailed in the Deccan society at the time.

Kuch Ishq-e-Muhammad (PBUH) mein nahin shart- e-Musalman

Hai Kausari Hindu bhi taabedar-e- Muhammad (PBUH)

Allah re, kya raunaq-e-bazar-e-Muhammad

Ke maabood-e-jahan bhi hai kharidar-e- Muhammad

Culture significantly impacts upon character, leading to the norms of everyday behaviour. But the best understanding of culture is that it itself is neither education nor law-making, but an atmosphere and a heritage.

The culture of Hyderabad Deccan is a pot pourri of several religions, customs and traditions; one that unifies and doesn’t create dissension in society.

Hyderabad has greatly contributed to Bollywood as well. Several actors from Hyderabad such as Waheeda Rehman, Mumtaz, Tabu, and Shabana Azmi, and Amir Khan with Hyderabadi roots, gave several diamond jubilee hits.

Whilst it is correct that education alone doesn’t determine culture, but combined with upbringing which is anchored in traditions and values, it becomes a sheet anchor for culture to build upon, and it then thrives through ages. All education and learning must lead towards progressive cultivation of manners.

Mir Osman was a strong proponent of education and upbringing, a blend of which is the foundation of Hyderabadi culture. He built the Osmania University where with the exception of English being in English ofcourse, engineering and medical subjects, and other sciences were taught in Urdu.

The Asaf Jah dynasty supported locally renowned schools like Mehboobia School for girls (1907) and Aaliya High School for boys (1872), where former Pakistan cricket team captain Asif Iqbal studied and captained the school cricket team. Additionally, they permitted Christian missionaries to establish schools like All Saints (1855), St Peters, Rosary Convent (1904), Little Flower, and St George (1834).

After Lucknow and Delhi, Hyderabad and Lahore have served the cause of Urdu well, but in that particular order. The simile and metaphor-based Hyderabadi dialect has typical nuances, and a certain melody when spoken, which adds richness to it.

Urdu poetry flourished at the hands of Hyderabadi poets such as Wali Muhammad Wali (1667–1707), also known as Wali Dakhani, who was a literary giant. Born in Hyderabad, he is considered by many as the father of Urdu poetry. Perhaps, he is the Geoffrey Chaucer of Urdu poetry. Other notable poets who contributed to the growth of Hyderabadi culture are Siraj Aurangabadi, Amir Meenai and the more recent leftist, revolutionary and sensational poet, Maqdoom Mohiuddin, also known for Ek Chameli Ke Mandve Tale, the popular 1964 ghazal by Mohammed Rafi and Asha Bhosle.

Hyderabadi as a dialect stands immortalised because from San Francisco to Auckland, one finds the same words and idioms used in Hyderabadi dialect. The Hyderabadi that is spoken by someone in Sydney and Melbourne is no different from the one spoken in Hyderabad Colony in Karachi. In a most charming manner, the plural of baat becomes baataan, instead of baatein, as commonly spoken in Urdu.

While bhagaray baigan, an aubergine curry is a popular item in Hyderabadi cuisine, baigan in the context of Hyderabadi dialect is not merely a vegetable or an election symbol! It represents a complete philosophy of negativism and as a single word, "baigan" denotes "no".

For someone who is continuously refusing or denying or saying no, a typical Hyderabadi response would be, “Kya Hazrat, bohat baigan panay ki baataan kar rahen aap!”

Some other interesting repartees and invective remarks being: “deeday nikaal dengay,” which is a warning before plucking someone’s eyeballs out; “kya lightaan maaray hain aap,” a compliment for someone’s sparkling beauty; “aiyo, bohat haawle panay ki baataan kar rahen bhai,” for someone talking nonsense. The best one perhaps is “pait mein mundi daal ke adab karna” literally meaning to duck your head in your stomach [regardless of whether it is flat or overly bulging] out of reverence and respect for someone. It inevitably reminds one of a widely-published photograph of the errant Mustafa Kamal seeking the pardon and blessings of Altaf Hussain.

While, naako means no and how means yes, poota is boy and pooti is girl, the concept of time in Hyderabad is infinitely elastic. In Urdu, parsoon means day before yesterday or day after tomorrow. But in Hyderabadi, parsoon means a few years decades or centuries even!

Culinary delights serve as the best medium for all human reconciliations as they are a bridge to bring people together. The custom of sharing and eating together is the cornerstone of Hyderabadi culture. Hyderabadi cuisine is not a farce, like some, neither a tragedy, like others, but authentic and real. As the saying goes, we dig our graves with our teeth, and the Hyderabadis have mastered this art so well that they can seriously beat Punjab, hands down, when it comes to loading food in quantities it is not built to handle!

Popular Hyderabadi dishes include khatti dal, bagharay baigan, chugoor ki bhaji (tamarind leaves cooked to paste-like consistency), dum ka kheema, rishtey ka achar, murkool (spiral shaped fried snack made with rice flour, urad dal flour and basic spices), sun dried fish which may stink up the entire neighbourhood and the surrounding ones, when fried up, is a popular delight for Hyderabadis.

All that is rounded off by double ka meetha, their rich version of bread pudding, khubani ka meetha, which is an apricot jam, puran poli (sweet flatbread with lentil paste filling, washed down by pauna chai, their version of doodh patti.

Despite having become an IT city, Hyderabad still retains its beautiful culture, where people have polite conversations, with tehzeeb [culture] and adab [courtesy] in the air.

 

Sirajuddin Aziz is a freelance contributor

All facts and information are the sole responsibility of the writer